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Surgeon General VADM Jerome M. Adams issues an advisory emphasizing the importance of protecting youth and pregnant women from the health risks of marijuana use.
Cannabis Will NEVER Be Legal Under Trump!

Thirty U.S. states have enacted medical cannabis laws, and all but one of them include cancer in the list of conditions allowed. Such laws give cancer patients across the country access to a substance that remains illegal under federal law.
Anecdotal reports suggest marijuana is helpful in managing symptoms of chemotherapy, like pain and nausea. But it's unlikely curious patients are getting clear guidance from their doctors on whether they should try marijuana, which form might work best and how much to take. A new survey of 237 oncologists from around the country finds that while roughly 80 percent talk with their patients about marijuana, fewer than 30 percent feel they have sufficient knowledge to advise them about its medicinal use.
Despite their shaky knowledge of the drug, nearly half of all oncologists do recommend medical cannabis to their patients, according to the study, which was published Thursday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. But more than half of those suggesting it, don't consider themselves knowledgeable to do so, says Dr. Ilana Braun, a cancer psychiatrist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass. and the study's lead author.

Despite coming under threat from Californian authorities, two weed-growing nuns known as the 'Sisters of the Valley', continued to cultivate marijuana, which they use to make medicinal salves, tinctures and oils, at their abbey in Merced, Sunday.
Sister Kate and Sister Darcy, who began their business last year, have developed their own formula of topical cream containing drops containing Cannabidiol (CBD), which is a non-psychoactive ingredient unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

For centuries, we've had some idea that marijuana might help relieve pain.
Now, Whoopi Goldberg wants to put that idea to use in a series of menstrual cramp products.
Goldberg, along with co-founder and cannabis business veteran Maya Elisabeth, are launching an eponymous company geared toward relieving the pain associated with periods.
According to Vanity Fair, the Whoopi & Maya line will include edibles, tinctures (liquid extracts), topical creams, and bath soaks. They say the goal of these products is that they'd be more accessible than traditional sources of marijuana, like a joint or a pipe that you have to light up.
“This, you can put it in your purse,” Goldberg told Vanity Fair. “You can put the rub on your lower stomach and lower back at work, and then when you get home you can get in the tub for a soak or make tea, and it allows you to continue to work throughout the day.”
The line is expected to become available in California starting in April, Vanity Fair reports.
What the science says about weed and pain
Some of the Whoopi & Maya products will reportedly just contain cannabidiol (CBD), which unlike marijuana's main psychoactive ingredient, THC, does not cause feelings of euphoria or intoxication, the characteristic "high" associated with pot.
Cannabidiol has been linked for years with different kinds of pain relief and even studied in several clinical studies. It's currently being explored as a potential treatment for certain types of epilepsy as well.
But apart from some self-reported use to fend off cramps, there isn't a whole lot of data available to date that suggests cannabis or its derivatives can help relieve the pain specifically linked to periods. But that could just be a result of a lack of data.
"With exception of a study in the 1800s, I see no evidence in the medical literature that supports that use,” Dr. Ranit Mishori, a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, told Live Scienceon the topic of marijuana and menstrual cramps.
Menstrual cramps, which also goes by the name dysmenorrhea, refers to the lower abdominal pains felt during or before a woman's menstrual period. It's pretty common, and typically can be helped with pain relievers like ibuprofen, heating pads, and massage. For those with worse symptoms, health care providers can often prescribe other medications to help relieve the symptoms.
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The Parliament of Australia considers the Turnbull Government's proposed legislation to legalize the growing of marijuana for medical use. The bill is expected to pass. (AP via The Washington Post) (Japan Today)